SEVERAL roads in Scarborough have been shut by police and council officials this evening to prevent an unapproved ‘car cruise’, which they say has been arranged for 6pm without consultation with the authorities.

Scarborough Borough Council and North Yorkshire Police say they ave taken a joint decision In the interests of public safety to close Royal Albert Drive, Marine Drive and Albert Road in Scarborough’s North Bay to traffic for the rest of today.

A spokesperson said in a statement: "The authorities found out about the car cruise, which is being organised by the Static Royals, ten days ago, and have been working together to try to stop the event from going ahead, which would be a breach of a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) adopted in 2018 following a history of problems associated with previous car cruises.

"The local community often felt threatened by the racing type behaviour of those participating in the events and there was widespread concern amongst local authorities and the police for the safety of pedestrians and other road users.

"On one occasion, the car cruise activity also resulted in thousands of pounds worth of damage to the road surface.

"Scarborough Borough Council hasn’t had formal notification that the Static Royals want to hold the car cruise this evening, which is another breach of the Public Space Protection Order."

In a joint statement, Scarborough Borough Council and North Yorkshire Police said:“Public safety is our number one priority in making the decision to put in place emergency road closures today.

"We apologise for the inconvenience the action may cause local businesses, residents and anyone visiting Scarborough today not involved in the car cruise.

"It is a step we have tried to avoid, but due to the clear breaches of the PSPO put in place to protect the public, we cannot risk the event going ahead and seeing a repeat of the problems in previous years that caused so much concern and risk of harm.”

They said council officers were currently hand delivering letters to businesses in the North and South Bay areas of Scarborough to explain the reasons for the road closure.